In Googleâ€™s ongoing battle with China, the supposedly open source Android OS has once again been caught in the middle.

Google has pulled out of a scheduled Android developers’ conference in Beijing. While shows in Hong Kong and Taiwan will still go ahead, the Beijing one has been cancelled as part of Googleâ€™s continuing efforts to shift itself out of China.

In January Google postponed the Chinese launch of two Android handsets – one Samsung and one Motorola – saying that it would be "irresponsible" to launch them when the search giant’s own future in China was so uncertain.

While Google imagines itself placing pressure on the Chinese government, the truth is that it is snubbing Android developers as much as the government itself, which could lead to rising sentiment against the company and its products. Google only holds a minority position in the Chinese search engine market, unlike its dominance everywhere else.

Microsoft has already indicated that it will not participate in the posturing Google has adopted, and recent moves to make its Windows Mobile 6.x OS free in emerging markets should her endear it to OEMâ€™s in China, while Google demonstrates exactly the opposite attitude.